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I started 2024 over on my Substack newsletter, The Traveller’s Literary Supplicant, with two book reviews in different genres. One Book was slightly older, but covers potentially significant geopolitical recurrences of the present, whereas the other is brand-new fiction, and has a certain timeless appeal. Here is a brief description and links to both reviews. You can also sign up for free to my TLS newsletter there.
The more recent published review was P. Dimitrakis, Greek Military Intelligence and the Crescent (University of Plymouth Press, 2010). This study aptly covers the Greek military’s perception of the Turkish threat, from the Cyprus crisis of 1974 to the smaller, but still explosive, one at the islet of Imia/Kardak in January 1996.
The second book is a collection of fifty microfiction stories, consisting of only fifty words each, by New York author Justin Deming. It is called, appropriately enough, 50 Fifties (self-published in December 2023), This enjoyable collection developed from a multi-year project, which included a collaborative and community aspect on Substack (the author’s ‘Fifties by the Fire’ writing prompt series, allowing other writers to join in with their own works of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction). As you will see from the review, Deming’s well-executed volume shows a good grasp of feeling and implication, an instinct for concise writing and implied meaning that are really helpful for the short format.
In the rest of 2024, I plan to review several more books, including novels and academic works on scholarly figures like Cardinal Bessarion, and perhaps some surprises. Stay tuned, and sign up for the newsletter to not miss a story!